Don't Fade On Me
by Aldrean Treu Peri
Summary: Takes place in Crystal Tokyo time and incorporates a song by Tom Petty and yes, I am aware that Selenity and Endymion are immortal, but I needed to 'change' that a little for this story.


Don't Fade On Me 

_I remember you so clearly_

_The first one through the door_

I return to find you drifting 

_Too far from the shore_

Endymion brushed a curling tendril of radiant silver from Serenity's ashen face, her ruby lips parted slightly but faded against her wan skin, the faint brush of rosy life dimming away as time slipped by.  Her chest rose and fell softly with each tired breath, her small hands entwined within his as he lay at her side on the great bed, both atop the feathery down comforter.  Her eyes were closed, sooty lashes fluttering lightly against her skin as she dreamt, the pristine silver-blue of her gaze hidden behind her delicate eyelids.  Age and quiet acceptance were beginning to weigh heavily on the King of Crystal Tokyo as well and he let out a sleepy sigh as he closed his eyes and slept alongside his wife and soul mate.

            She had seemed so young and fragile the first time she'd walked through the arcade doors, her twin streaks of golden hair spinning about her frame as she skipped merrily inside and performed a quick jumping twist that set her odangoes into motion again.  There had been an aura of innocence shrouding her then that endured to this day, happiness and light banishing the darkness of the world wherever she went.  It was a few days after he had been hit in the head by a poor and crumpled up test paper.  It was the day he, as Mamoru Chiba, had taken a good long look at her and noticed the real Usagi Tsukino, not the saddened and later anger one – which he helped in creating – but the bubbly, bright girl who shone like a beacon to light the way for others.  It was the day he had fallen hopelessly in love with her.

_I remember feeling this way_

_You can lose it without knowing_

_You wake up and you don't notice_

_Which way the wind is blowing_

Serenity drifted back to her second childhood as she dreamt, her thoughts focusing on a slight golden-haired fourteen year old and her tender heart.  Back when she was just Usagi, and her true love was only Mamoru.  The fateful days just prior to the evening at the Star Light Tower, when they had each learned of the secret identity the other bore.  He had seemed so lost then, his cerulean eyes sorrowful and stormy, his dark ebony hair washed in the moonlight as the wind whipped about them, familiarity sparking in the air but reluctance to speak on both sides.  His face had been partially hidden behind a white domino mask, his crimson lined cape swirling in the air and his customary top heat missing.  The jewels in her odangoes had been glittering like fiery stars, the precious star locket in her hands playing softly and filling the expanse of inky night, illuminated by the heavens and yet dusky still, as though a very special event had yet to take place.

            She had felt love stirring in her heart for the caped crusader decked out in the stylish tuxedo, but then again she _had _had hearts in her eyes since the first time he'd rescued her.  It felt as though the mysterious man before her was strumming the strings of her heart, as they were by Mamoru-baka.  In the seclusion of her fantasies however, he was Mamo-chan to her.  It was a wondrous feeling, as though destiny had taken steps to create what was lost in the past but had thrived to this day, only to manifest itself in her and …perhaps him as well?  She was of course too naïve back then, not the Moon Princess and Queen she was today, and she hadn't known that she was empty, missing a half of herself.  Such a foolish time, both of them had been admittedly childish, but it still brought back pleasant memories …

_Don't fade _

_Don't fade on me_

_You were the one who made things different_

_You were the one who took me in_

_You were the one thing I could count on_

_Above all you were my friend_

He was resting at her side when she woke, looking about drowsily in confusion and fright until she had noticed him, cradling her in his arms even as he slept.  Endymion, her love, the one who had brought her inside during a thunderstorm long, long ago …taken care of her when she was too ill to do it herself, guarded her even when they did not know each other.  She could always count on him, for comfort and a warm embrace when she was depressed, for instruction when she was …ahem, struggling in school.  Even more than a lover, more than a husband and more than the man to whom her soul was bonded, more than the keeper of her heart …he was first and foremost a friend.

            He was pale, his midnight-black hair like the feathers of a raven falling fetchingly over his forehead where the Earth sigil flared briefly at her touch.  He was fading …and she could do nothing about it.  He was leaving and she could do nothing more than accompany him.  One could not exist without their whole soul after all, and they had lived a great deal of time already.  She wasn't as unhappy as she would have been, had they both been years younger and somehow, leaving this world and their promising child, leaving their oldest friends and companions in such a silent, special way felt right.  Neither of them was directly responsible for the slipping of both, it was just the time for the couple blessed by Fate to go and let a new era unfold.  Time …

_Don't fade_

_Don't fade on me_

_Well your clothes hang on a wire_

_And the sun is overhead_

_But today you are too weary_

_To even leave your bed_

He was aware of her waking, aware of her benevolent gaze watching him and he was aware of her thoughts, for they were tied so securely to each other that it seemed they shared even the same mind at times.  Communication with thoughts between two people was not terribly uncommon this day and age, especially not between such a pair as they, but it had been a long time since they had even needed to think in words.  He had always simply known what she was feeling and he knew that she felt the same on her side of the string.  They were two halves of a whole, nothing apart and everything together and it was just how they liked it.  Soon, the press of everything would fade and they could share eternity together, awaiting the arrival of their friends and making peace with shadows of the past.  Soon, he would have to face the parents he lost long ago …and soon they would be in peace forever more.

            He could no longer do anymore than hold her safe and close, so tired was he now.  The ache of loneliness that had once turned his heart bitter was only a dull throb that persisted whenever they were apart, but together, wrapped in each other's arms the way they were it was like they had stolen a moment from heaven to remember for all time.  He opened his eyes and smiled at her, sharing their special smile as he pressed a kiss to the golden crescent moon gleaming upon her forehead and trailed a brief string of butterfly kisses down her face, teasing her before reaching her mouth where they shared once last passionate kiss before both slipped into a never ending sleep.

_Was it love that took you under?_

_Or did you know too much?_

_Was it something you could picture?_

_But never could quite touch?_

Princess Chibi-Usa blinked away tears, her lower lip trembling with timeless sorrow as she bowed her head and turned from the Royal bedchambers.  She was fully grown now, her strawberry-blond hair (less of a pink shade now that the silver was blending in) flowing in its usual style, a remnant of her mother's but with a twist that made it hers and it finally reached the floor.  Her eyes were still a cinnamon shade, lacking the crystalline clarity of her mother's but bearing a childlike innocence nonetheless.  Every little bit of herself was a legacy of her parents and their everlasting love and she cherished that now more than ever.  

            She walked with grace down the hall, passing her own chambers, which she shared with her betrothed, Elios of Elysian.  He was awaiting her presence in the Grand Hall with the rest of the senshi and their life-partners, all gathered to pay the respects to their departed rulers.  Strangely however, Chibi-Usa could only summon up regret for the loss of her parents for she knew better than others how much her parents had been looking forward to it, ever since they had felt the effects of time passing them by as the seasons rolled on in their stately march.  Shedding a few happy tears, mingled with her subdued grief, she entered the room and smiled sadly.  The page had been turned, closing a special chapter of time away for good.

_Don't fade_

_Don't fade on me_

An's:  Hey there, isn't this a sad little story?  One day I was just listening to Tom Petty's Wildflower CD and when I heard that song inspiration struck.  There aren't too many authors who want to write the ending of the sensational love saga of Serena/Usagi and Darien/Mamoru, but I just had to write this.  *sniffle sniffle * At least they'll be happy in the beyond together!  Lots of love to everyone out there!  Oh, and please email me, I really enjoy responses!


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